Control Loop for Switching Power Converters

ABSTRACT

A control loop for a clocked switching power converter where the loop features a comparator ( 44 ) and a filter ( 61 ) in series to linearize the nonlinear response of the comparator ( 44 ). The filter ( 61 ) has poles and zeros offsetting the poles and zeros of a bridge rectifier (M 1  and M 2 ).

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to voltage regulation of switchingpower converters.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Switching power converters (SPCs) are widely used in electronic systemsto convert a direct current (DC) voltage into a different DC voltage, oran alternating current (AC) voltage into a DC voltage, or a DC voltageinto an AC voltage. SPCs are widely used in both portable andnon-portable applications for a wide range of power and voltage ranges.There are numerous architectures for each application such as buck (stepdown), boost (step up), H-bridge, and fly back. Yet, regardless of thetype of converter, they all need a controller so that a regulated andwell maintained voltage at the output is created. The generated outputvoltage is often used as a power supply to an specific load within theelectronic system. There could be different types of SPCs in one system,each with its own particular load and controller and its particular setof specifications.

FIG. 1 shows block diagram of a typical prior art step-down (or buck)DC/DC switching power converter (SPC) that converts a DC voltage withvalue of V_(in) from a power source 11, such as an AC to DC full wavebridge rectifier or batteries, into a lowered DC voltage with value ofV_(out) (where V_(out)<V_(in)). A prior art power converter mightconvert V_(in) to a DC output voltage, V_(out), of 2 volts DC. The coreof a buck SPC is made of two transistor switches; M1 and M2, along withinductor 18A, having a value L₀, and capacitor 18B, having a value C₀.Transistor M1 can be either a p-channel or a n-channel device, while M2is customarily a n-channel device. The type selection for M1 and M2,between n-channel or p-channel, is heavily dependent on designrequirements and availability of devices within the system.

FIG. 2 shows a timing diagram of voltages at nodes 19B, 19C (V_(out)),20A and 20B during a steady state condition of the SPC of FIG. 1. Byopening and closing transistor switches M1 and M2 in a complementaryfashion, at a rate set by a clock oscillator associated with controller15 in FIG. 1, where only one device is on at any given moment, thevoltage at node 19B would be a signal with the same frequency as thesignal at node 20A or 20B. The magnitude of the voltage at node 19Balternates between zero and V_(in). This alternating voltage would befiltered by inductor 18A and capacitor 18B at node 19C to an approximatevalue ofV _(out) =V _(in) (T _(on) /T)  (1)where T_(on) is the duration for which M1 is kept conducting (in thiscase while signal at node 20A is at zero), and T is the total period ofsignal at node 20A (or period of signal at node 20B). Referring to FIG.2, the ratio of T_(on)/T is called the “duty cycle” of the clock. So,for a 20 percent “duty cycle”, the output voltage V_(out) would beV_(out)=0.2V_(in) assuming no losses.

Returning to FIG. 1, a regulation loop for a prior art SPC is often madeof an error amplifier (EA) 23, having an input element Z1, representedby block 14A, and a feedback element Z2, represented by block 14B, apulse width modulator (PWM) or a pulse frequency modulator (PFM)controller 15, and a driver 12 to turn M1 and M2 on and off. The erroramplifier may be an analog or digital device which evaluates a sample ofpower ripple on one input to the error amplifier versus a referencevoltage on node 22C from a reference supply 16. This regulationconfiguration is frequently seen in buck, boost, and fly-back switchingpower converter designed of the prior art. An entire SPC system can bebuilt on a printed circuit board using discrete components or it can bebuilt as an integrated circuit using CMOS, BiCMOS, BCD, or any otherprocess technology suitable for such a design.

Referring again to FIG. 2, if value of T is held constant for a constantclock period, or frequency, and T_(on) (or T_(off)) is varied to controlvoltage at node 19C (V_(out)), then the controller is called a PWM orpulse width modulator controller. Yet, if T is varied and T_(on) (orT_(off)) is held constant, then the controller is a PFM or pulsefrequency modulator controller. In either case, PWM or PFM, transistorswitches M1 and M2 are operated in a manner that creates a voltage pulseat node 19B. Inductor 18A, having a value L₀, and capacitor 18B, havinga value C₀, are connected in a manner to form a low-pass filter so thatpulse signal at node 19B is converted into a fairly constant DC voltageat 19C defined by Equation 1 and depicted in FIG. 2. Voltage at node 19Cis used to power up any possible load, such as load 13.

Using small-signal analysis, the low-pass filter created by inductor 18Aand capacitor 18B produces two poles at f_(P1) and f_(P2) that can becalculated from $\begin{matrix}{f_{P\quad 1} = {f_{P\quad 2} = \frac{1}{2\quad\pi\sqrt{L_{0}C_{0}}}}} & (2)\end{matrix}$Now, since there are two poles within the regulation loop, this systemwould be unstable in a closed loop configuration if there is no changemade to the loop. So, the loop must be compensated.

Referring again to FIG. 1, error amplifier 23 along with two elements14A and 14B, with values Z1 and Z2, respectively, serve as the maincompensation circuitry to add stability to the loop. This is a verycommonly practiced scheme to compensate a SPC regulator loop. Usingsmall-signal analysis, in the frequency domain, the voltage gain oferror amplifier 23 combined with elements Z1 and Z2 can be calculated as$\begin{matrix}{A_{1} = \frac{{- Z}\quad 2}{Z\quad 1}} & (3)\end{matrix}$By using a proper combination of active and passive components,primarily capacitors and resistors for Z1 and Z2, proper additionalpoles and zeros can be added within the regulation loop in order tostabilize it.

FIG. 3 shows one possible method of implementing a complex value for Z2with a capacitor 101, having a value C₁₁, in series with a resistor 103,having a value R₁₁, both the capacitor 101 and resistor 103 in parallelwith capacitor 105, having a value of C₁₂. So. assuming a simpleresistor is used for Z1 with value of R_(Z1), and assuming Z2 is set tobe a combination of one resistor and capacitors shown in FIG. 3, then A₁(in Equation 3) is $\begin{matrix}{A_{1} = \frac{1 + {{sR}_{11}C_{11}}}{R_{Z\quad 1}{s\left\lbrack {{s\quad R_{11}C_{11}C_{12}} + \left( {C_{12} + C_{11}} \right)} \right\rbrack}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$with one zero at 1/(2πR₁₁C₁₁), and two poles. However, it must be notedthat the DC voltage gain of error amplifier 23 is simply equal to itsopen loop voltage gain, and is not calculated from Equation 4.Furthermore, capacitor 18B, in FIG. 1, having value C₀, has seriesparasitic resistance, not shown in FIG. 1, with a value of R_(ser) whichwould add another zero at 1/(2πC₀R_(ser)). There are effectively twopoles created by L₀ and C₀ (at f_(P1) and f_(P2)), and two additionalpoles created by Z1 and Z2 which yield a number of poles totaling four,with two zeros within the loop. Hence, by adjusting the values ofpassive components L₀, C₀, (both associated with the bridge converter),C₁₁, C₁₂, R₁₁, (the latter three values seen to be associated with thecomponents of FIG. 3), and R_(Z1), (the resistance value of theimpedance Z1 in block 14A of FIG. 1) a regulation loop can becompensated to ensure a stable operation for all conditions.

The same analysis can be used for any other converter such as a flyback, boost or buck-boost, or H-bridge which uses this common type ofregulation. One of the main problems in a regulation loop is the erroramplifier itself. The error amplifier must have a high voltage gain, andadequate bandwidth in order to be effective. If the voltage gain orspeed of the error amplifier is compromised for any reason, thenadditional error terms are introduced, which in turn may not produce astable controller. So, performance of the error amplifier is a verycrucial and important issue that must be considered for any regulator.

Power supply of an amplifier plays a very crucial role in its gain andbandwidth. A reduced power supply voltage often lowers either the gainor speed, or both gain and speed. Traditionally, error amplifiers in aregulation loop need a minimum power supply voltage of around 2V tooperate properly. Furthermore, in a typical buck SPC the entireregulation loop may be powered by the provided power source, which has avalue of V_(in). Thus, the minimum voltage for power source or (V_(in))is often limited to around 2V for a conventional buck SPC. So, if thevalue of V_(in) drops below this critical limit of around 2V, then theerror amplifier that is used in the buck SPC regulation loop could havea reduced voltage gain or bandwidth, which could hinder the performanceof the entire converter, or may prevent operation of the converter.

In a boost converter, where V_(in) is increased to a larger value at theoutput and V_(out)>V_(in), if V_(in) is less than a critical voltagewhich is needed to run all of the internal circuitry, such as the erroramplifier or reference circuitry, then the output voltage V_(out) maynot be regulated until its value reaches a specific value high enoughthat can be used as the power source to the regulator itself. Then, theloop is activated to regulate the value of V_(out) at its targetedvalue.

Thus, general use of an architecture similar to that shown in FIG. 1 inbuck SPCs is limited mainly to system where V_(in) is, at a minimum,around 2V. Nevertheless, there are applications where a buck SPC isneeded to convert a lower voltage power source, such as householdbatteries that are used as a main power source. In this case V_(in)could be as low as 1.3V. A desired output voltage (V_(out)) could beanything from 1.2V to as low as 0.4V.

In such systems, one available scheme could be simply to use a linearvoltage regulator. However, the efficiency of linear voltage regulatorsis approximated byη=V _(out) /V _(in)   (5)where V_(in) and V_(out) are their respective input an output voltages.Thus, linear regulators are considered very inefficient for largevoltage drops and may not be suitable for a system where V_(in)=1.3V andV_(out)=0.65V, since η=50%. An SPC efficiency could be as high as 95%for similar voltage drop ratios. Another available method could be toemploy a boost SPC to increase the provided power source by stepping upa value of V_(in) as previously mentioned to voltage of around 2V, orhigher, and then use a buck SPC to regulate the created 2V level back toa voltage lower than the initial V_(in). Such an approach would need twosets of SPCs which increases the cost and would reduce the entireefficiency of the power converter circuitry. This may not be acceptable,yet it could be the only effective “efficient” solution.

Other approaches to regulate a SPC involve using a digital architecture.The goal is to “dynamically” adjust V_(out) in order to optimize thepower consumption of the load. Hence, these approaches are not used tokeep V_(out) at a constant value, but to change it according to the needof a specific digital load in order to minimize the amount of powerconsumed within such load, such as a micro-controller or microprocessorcircuits. In another embodiment, the efficiency of switching powerconverters for low power applications was addressed where ananalog-to-digital converter (ADC) has been used to sample the outputvoltage V_(out) and voltage regulation was done through digitalcircuits. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) has been used to samplethe output voltage, V_(out), and voltage regulation was done throughdigital circuits. However, the input voltage was typically kept to avalue around 3V to keep an analog-to-digital converter operational.

An object of the invention is to create a new control loop to regulatethe output voltage of switching power converters (SPCs), even at lowinput power supply voltages, particularly lower than 2V, in order to:reduce design complexity, reduce control circuitry power consumption,and facilitate design portability of the regulator between differentprocess technologies (i.e. CMOS, BiCMOS and such).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above objectives have been realized with a control loop for a SPC toprovide rectified DC to a loop having a simple voltage comparatorinstead of a traditional operational amplifier, along with a simplefilter to linearize the nonlinear response of the comparator. The filterhas poles and zeros to promote stability in the loop. The new techniquecan tolerate process, temperature and voltage variations, and is capableof operating with low power supply voltage (less than two volts) with nodegradation in performance. The circuit can easily be ported intodifferent process technologies without major design modifications. Thecircuit can be applied to any SPC circuit including DC-DC, DC-AC andAC-DC converters. By using this new regulation technique the powersupply voltage applied into the SPC control loop can easily be loweredwithout harming regulated V_(out).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a buck type of switching power converterof the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a timing diagram of voltage versus time at various nodes inthe circuit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a complex impedance load for an erroramplifier of the prior art.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a control loop for switching powerconverter in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of an alternate control loop, with a chargepump, following FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of a typical filter for use in the controlloop of FIG. 4 or 5.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a charge-pump joined to the circuit ofFIG. 6 at node 52F.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of principal regulation components shown inthe control loop illustrated in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 4, the present invention came about with therealization that the function of the linear error amplifier 23 in FIG. 1and the compensation elements Z1 and Z2 can be replaced with a simplehigh gain detection circuit with a non-linear response, and a properfilter to create a pseudo linear behavior to regulate the loop. At verylow frequencies near DC, the error amplifier behaves like a simplevoltage comparator with a very large voltage gain. Yet, it is only athigher frequencies that it can assist in compensating the loop. So, thesame behavior can be implemented with components that may not sufferfrom shortcomings of typical error amplifiers. A non-linear detectioncircuitry such as a voltage comparator is typically more robust tovariations in headroom voltage, temperature, and process variations. Ofcourse, a current comparator can be configured to be equivalent to avoltage comparator. Hence, its adaptability to these changes can be usedto make the entire compensation loop more robust.

A high gain voltage comparator 44 is used to detect an error involvingoutput voltage (V_(out)) at node 45 or a fraction of it, at node 47after a portion of the output voltage at node 45 is dropped acrossresistors R1 and R2. This voltage V₁ is a first input to comparator 44.A second input is a reference voltage on line 51. Assuming that thevoltage comparator has a sensitivity of ε (where ε≅0) and has very smallpropagation delay, then if V₁ is greater than V_(ref), then thecomparator output, V₂, is at logic level 0, and when voltage V₁ is lessthan V_(ref), the comparator output, V₂, is at V_(in), logic level 1.So, V₂ can be viewed as a pulse voltage modulating from a positivevoltage to zero or a negative voltage (if the comparator is powered bytwo separate power supplies, one positive and one negative). Theamplitude of this pulse can be a few volts in magnitude. If thecomparator is solely powered with a single power source such as V_(in),then the pulse would merely vary from zero to V_(in). By placing asimple low-pass filter in the path of the comparator, the pulse voltageat the comparator output node 65, V₂, can be averaged to create a fairlyconstant voltage which can be fed into the PWM or PFM controller 63 toeventually regulate the loop. Conceptually, the comparator 44 and filter61 would effectively replace the error amplifier 23 and Z1 and Z2 inFIG. 1. The primary goal is to create a constant voltage at the input ofPWM or PFM controller 63 so the loop is stabilized. However, the sameissues related to the poles and zeros in the regulation loop still existand must be considered. The filter block inside FIG. 4 can be built tohave the following response: $\begin{matrix}{{H(s)} = \frac{1 + {s/\omega_{z\quad 1}}}{\left( {1 + {s/\omega_{p\quad 1}}} \right)\left( {1 + {s/\omega_{p\quad 2}}} \right)}} & (6)\end{matrix}$where H_((s)) is the transfer function of the filter, s is a complexvariable and ω is a frequency term (ω_(z1) being a frequency termassociated with the zero of the transfer function and ω_(p1) and ω_(p2)being frequency terms associated with pole one and pole two,respectively). The inverse Laplace transform of H(s), L⁻¹[H(s)] yieldsexpressions that characterize the behavior of the filter in the timedomain. Equation 6 is similar to Equation 4 and it is the simplest formof such filter, with one zero and two poles. One such filter networkcould be similar to the circuit shown in FIG. 3, with one end connectedto ground. One main issue of implementing the filter is the magnitude ofV₂, the voltage of comparator output node 65. Since the magnitude of V₂is modulated from zero to V_(in), it can cause a challenge in design. Ifa battery is used as the power source for the power converter, then itsoutput voltage will normally change as charge is depleted. So, eventhough implementing a filter with a variable V_(in) is possible, itstill can be a difficult design task from practical points of view.

A simpler approach is to insert a simple charge-pump circuit 45 in FIG.5 that can add (or remove) a constant amount of charge into or out of anode, depending of magnitude of V₂, the voltage on node 52E at theoutput of comparator 44. Then, in accordance with the invention, astabilized regulation loop includes a comparator, a charge-pump, and afilter to deal with that near constant yet modulating charge instead ofdealing with a pulse-like voltage, V₂. A charge-pump is commonly used inthe design of traditional phase locked loops (PLLs) where the phase orfrequency of a reference clock is compared to the phase or frequency ofthe generated clock signal out of a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO).Accordingly, charge is added or subtracted from a node by thecharge-pump. Note that this type of “charge pump” is different fromother types of charge pumps used to increase voltage from a low value toa high value using a series of phased switches controlling chargetransfer from connected capacitors. The present invention employs chargeadding and subtracting charge pumps, not the other type of charge pump.So, this particular approach with some simple modifications can easilybe applied here in SPC regulation design.

Referring to FIG. 5, power source 41 may be a full wave bridgeconverting an AC voltage to some DC level. This DC level is beingregulated by a buck SPC which is made of two transistor switches M1 andM2. M1 is shown as a p-channel device and M2 is shown as a n-channeldevice for this example, yet both can be n-channel devices if neededwith some possible extra circuitry to drive M2.

Transistors M1 and M2 are connected to inductor 55A, having a value L₀,and capacitor 55B, having a value C₀. The input voltage at node 52A,with value of V_(in) is reduced to a lower voltage at node 45, withvalue of V_(out), that can be connected to a possible load, in this caseload 43. The value of V_(out) is regulated by a loop that is made ofcomponents that can either be built on a printed circuit board or in anintegrated form in CMOS, BiCMOS, or bipolar technologies (or any othertechnology suitable for such a design such as silicon carbide,silicon-on-insulator, silicon germanium, and bipolar-CMOS-DMOS).

A network is used to provide a voltage at the negative input ofcomparator 44 which is directly proportional to V_(out) and will becompared to a reference voltage V_(ref) at node 51. In this case, twoseries connected resistors 54A and 54B, with respective values R1 andR2, are used to create the proportional voltage at node 47. The voltageat node 47 and the reference voltage provided by reference voltagesupply 48 at node 51 from reference supply 48 are compared to each otherby voltage comparator 44. Voltage comparator 44 compares these twovoltages at nodes 47 and 51 and provides a signal at its output at node52E. If voltage at node 47 (V₄₇) is larger than voltage at node 51(V_(ref)) then voltage at node 52E (V₂) is set to a logic zero. However,if V₄₇ is less than V_(ref), then V₂ is set to a logic 1. The comparatoris connected to a charge-pump which can add charge to or remove chargefrom node 52F.

The circuit diagram shown in FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplarycharge-pump. If the comparator 44 output voltage at node 52E is at alogic zero, then current I_(up) generated by charge-pump 45 flows intonode 52F. Assuming capacitor 93 in the filter of FIG. 6, having valueC₁₂, is much larger than capacitor 91, having value C₁₁, then thevoltage variation at the output node 52F (in FIG. 5) of charge-pump 45for V_(52E)=“0” would beΔV _(52F)=(I _(up) T _(up))/C ₁₂   (7)where I_(up) is the value of the current source in charge-pump 45 andT_(up) is the duration for which I_(up) is flowing into node 52F. Whenthe output of comparator 44 is a logic one, i.e. V_(52E)=“1”, thencapacitor C₁₂ will be discharged by an amount calculated byΔV ₅₂ F=(I _(dn) T _(dn))/C ₁₂   (8)Similarly, I_(dn) and T_(dn) are the respective values of current andthe duration for charge-pump 45 in which I_(dn) is flowing from C₁₂. Itmust be noted that in the frequency domain, a single capacitor addsanother pole to the regulation loop which causes an additional reasonfor the entire system to be unstable and is not recommended for thissystem without stabilization circuitry. Filter 46 must be able to smooththe voltage at node 52F, and to compensate the loop and to preventoscillation.

By using frequency domain analysis, a zero is added at $\begin{matrix}{f_{21} = \frac{1}{2\quad\pi\quad R_{31}C_{12}}} & (9)\end{matrix}$where ƒ_(z1) is the frequency of the zero. Two poles are added: a singlepole at zero (ƒ_(P3)=0) and another pole at $\begin{matrix}{f_{P\quad 4} = \frac{C_{11} + C_{12}}{2\quad\pi\quad R_{31}C_{11}C_{12}}} & (10)\end{matrix}$where ƒ_(p4) is the frequency of the added pole. Thus, by selectingproper values for R₃₁, C₁₁, and C₁₂ values of the created pole and zerocan be placed such that an stable system is obtained. Furthermore,parasitic resistance of the capacitor 55B, having value C₀, would add anextra zero within the network that would be used in stabilizing thesystem, along with the values of C₁₁, C₁₂, and R₃₁).

Values of I_(dn) and I_(up) would contribute to the overall gain ofregulation loop. By increasing their values, overall gain is increasedand the locations of poles and zeros must be modified in response tothose changes. Consequently, all of these parameters become designcriteria and must be considered for any system.

A voltage comparator is inherently a non-linear circuit, unlike an erroramplifier. However, an error amplifier that operates in an open loopmode can be used like a voltage comparator within this system, withoutany noticeable problem. Alternatively, an error amplifier with a verysmall amount of feedback can still operate as a voltage comparatorwithin this system. A current comparator can also be used. So, voltagecomparator 44 can be of any manner and design, as long as it can performthe voltage detection needed in this system, as described above.

Filter 46 is used to smooth the voltage created at node 52F, thecharge-pump output, and apply it to a controller block. Voltage at node52G out of filter 46 is applied to PWM or PFM controller 63 whichprovides the needed signals through data line 53 to driver 42. Thecontroller controls the duty cycle for transistor switches M1 and M2.

FIG. 7 shows a simplified operational diagram of a well known chargepump used in FIG. 5 having a characteristic design primarily used inphased lock loop (PLL) and delay locked loop (DLL) systems. Any circuitthat can perform the function of injecting and retracting current orcharge could be used as the charge-pump 45 in FIG. 5.

Returning to FIG. 7, in operation, charge-pump 45 has an input node 52Ehaving a voltage, V_(A), from the comparator 44 in FIG. 5. This voltageis either a logic one or a logic zero (V_(A) is either at V_(in) or zerovolts). When V_(A) is at logic one, when V_(A)=V_(in), then transistorMN is conducting and transistor MP is off. Hence, current I_(dn), flowsfrom node 52F and pulls the voltage at node 52F toward the voltage atnode 86, in this case ground. Alternatively, when V_(A) is at logiczero, then transistor MN is shut off and MP is on. Hence, current I_(up)flows out of node 83 and voltage at node 52F is pulled toward thevoltage at node 83, in this case V_(DD).

Variations on the charge-pump construction are many. Filter 46 in FIG. 5is of the type commonly used in the design of PLL systems. FIG. 6 showsthe simplest circuit that can be used for the filter, with a capacitor91 in one branch in parallel with a second branch having resistor 92 inseries with capacitor 93. However, there are many variations on thisfilter and other filters can provide the needed poles and zeros andsmooth out the voltage at node 52F by providing an additional zero inthe stabilization loop to stabilize the entire regulation loop. Thefilter can be higher than a second order filter. It can have more thantwo poles and more zeros. It can be any filter that stabilizes thecontrol loop. Many different filters can be designed, sometimes withsoftware adapted to the purpose.

Controller 63 in FIG. 5 can be either a PFM or PWM modulator. Driver 42in FIG. 5 amplifies pulses that can have either fixed frequency andvariable width (PWM), or fixed pulse width and variable frequency (PFM)established by controller 63. The controller 63 adjusts the pulse widthfor a PWM or pulse frequency for a PFM. Reference voltage 48 sets atarget voltage. Resistors R1 and R2 reduce voltage V_(out) at node 45for comparison with V_(ref). The controller 63 makes adjustments todriver 42 to minimize the ripple in V_(out) at node 45 and into load 43.The invention would work with either PWM or PFM for a buck (step-down),boost (step-up) or buck-boost switching power converters and regulators.The present invention provides a stabilized regulation loop for a SPCwith a non-linear voltage comparator, a charge-pump of the type commonlyused in PLL circuitry, and a low pass filter with the combination havingpoles and zeros offsetting the poles and zeros of the bridge rectifier.Blocks that are typically used in the regulation loop shown in system 40such as voltage comparator 44, charge-pump 45, filter 46 and PWM or PFMcontroller 63 and driver 42 are common circuitry.

In general, system 40 may be built on PC board from discrete components,or in an integrated circuit form in any technology suitable for such asystem, such as but not limited to CMOS, BiCMOS, GaAs, Bipolar (or BJT),SiGe, Silicon on Insulator (SOI), or any other integrated circuitprocess capable of producing system 40 in an integrated form. Or, entiresystem 40 can be built as a combination of discrete components andintegrated circuits built in different process technologies that areproper for such a system.

With reference to FIG. 8, comparator 44 has a voltage signal input 52from terminal 47 where terminal 47 is an output node of a bridgeconverter, such as a half-bridge, as seen in FIG. 5. Comparator 44 alsohas a reference voltage input on line 51 associated with a voltagereference source, such as battery 50. Comparator 44 is made of aplurality of CMOS transistors of the type shown and described in U.S.Pat. No. 6,198,312.

The output of comparator 44 on line 60 feeds charge pump 45, similar tothe charge pump shown in FIG. 7. The charge pump features a pair of CMOStransistor switches 62 and 64. Transistor 62 is a p-channel deviceconnected to a p-channel current sourcing transistor 66 biased by areference voltage on gate line 76 to provide a supply voltage 80 andcurrent when the gate of switch 62 is biased negative. The providedcurrent flows toward filter 61 and specifically into capacitors 91 and93. Transistor 64 is an n-channel device connected to an n-channelcurrent sinking transistor 68 biased by a reference voltage on a gateline 78 to provide access to ground 86 for sinking current when the gateof switch 64 is biased positive by the output of comparator 44. In thiscase, current is drawn from filter 61. The filter 61 is shown to be thesame as the filter of FIG. 6. This filter is a typical simple filter andequivalent filters, more or less sophisticated, analog or digital, maybe used.

1. A regulation loop for a switching power converter of the type havinga pulse width variable or pulse frequency variable modulator operatingswitches associated with a power source and a bridge filter section,with a power output node feeding a load, the variable parameter of themodulator establishing an amount of regulation and efficiency of thepower converter, the bridge filter section having a first transferfunction with inherent poles and zeros, the improvement comprising: acomparator having a high impedance first input sampling a voltage orcurrent from the power output node of the switching power converter as afirst input signal and having a second input signal from a referencesupply representing a target voltage or current level for the load, thecomparator having an output signal on an output line with a high or lowsignal depending on whether first input signal exceeds the second inputsignal or not; and a filter connected to the comparator receiving thecomparator output signal and to deliver a filter output signal, thefilter having a second order transfer function, the second ordertransfer function established by a selection of filter componentsoffsetting the poles and zeros of the first transfer function, wherebythe filter output signal is smooth, operating the variable inputparameter of the pulse width variable or pulse frequency variablemodulator.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a charge pump isinterposed between the comparator and the filter.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 2 wherein the filter comprises at least one capacitor incommunication with the charge pump, whereby the charge pump adds andsubtracts charge from the capacitor.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2 whereinthe filter comprises at least two capacitors in communication with thecharge pump, whereby the charge pump adds and subtracts charge from thecapacitor.
 5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the filter comprises twoparallel branches having opposed ends, including a first end connectedto the charge pump and a second end connected to ground.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 5 wherein a first branch of the filter comprises acapacitor.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a second branch of thefilter comprises a capacitor and a resistor.
 8. The apparatus of claim 2wherein the charge pump comprises switch means for injecting andretracting current from the filter.
 9. A regulation loop for a switchingpower converter of the type having a pulse width variable or pulsefrequency variable modulator operating switches associated with a powersource and a bridge filter section, with a power output node feeding aload, the variable parameter of the modulator establishing an amount ofregulation and efficiency of the power converter, the improvementcomprising: a comparator having a high impedance first input sampling avoltage or current from the power output node of the switching powerconverter as a first input signal and having a second input signal froma reference supply representing a target voltage or current level forthe load, the comparator having an output signal on an output line witha high or low signal depending on whether first input signal exceeds thesecond input signal or not; a charge pump connected to receive theoutput signal from the comparator and either source or sink current inresponse thereto as a current signal; and a filter connected to thecomparator receiving the current signal and delivering a filter outputsignal operating a pulse width variable or pulse frequency variablemodulator.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the filter comprises atleast one capacitor in communication with the charge pump, whereby thecharge pump adds and subtracts charge from the capacitor.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 9 wherein the filter comprises at least twocapacitors in communication with the charge pump, whereby the chargepump adds and subtracts charge from the capacitor.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 9 wherein the filter comprises two parallel branches havingopposed ends, including a first end connected to the charge pump and asecond end connected to ground.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein afirst branch of the filter comprises a capacitor.
 14. The apparatus ofclaim 12 wherein a second branch of the filter comprises a capacitor anda resistor.
 15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the charge pumpcomprises an inverter arrangement of MOS transistors, with a pair ofbias transistors connected to the inverter arrangement.